Home • Rethinking Work column • Client Consulting • Books/Talks • Press • About Cliff Hakim • Contact

Life’s too short to______________?

I never think of the future. It comes soon enough.
—Albert Einstein

Fill in the blank in the question above to find out what value really drives you.  The first step in creating more meaningful work is to determine what energizes you and gives you the brightest vision of your future.
      Here are some examples of how others have filled in the blank: Life's too short to: miss the journey while traveling to one's destination. …fall and stay down. …put off sharing with the world. …cook for people who don't like to eat. …stay in a rut and miss the challenges of change. …criticize when praise is needed and praise when honesty would do. These are just some of the guiding values that make our lives worthwhile. Thinking of how we want to view our lives when the dance is over is a powerful way to find out if you’re living from your core.
      My best friend Vin Calia, died of pancreatic cancer. Vin planned his funeral the way most people plan a wedding. He chose the funeral home, selected a veterans' cemetery, and arranged a celebratory meal at his favorite Italian restaurant, with special wines for his family and friends. For the memorial service, Vin asked me to deliver his eulogy. But he also asked me to share it with him before the Big Day.
      Vin called St. Luke's rectory and told Reverend David Gaffney that he had a few questions, “Would you visit me at our home? Can we talk about life and death even though I don't believe in an afterlife?"
      One day Vin asked, "Father, do you like wine?" Reverend Gaffney nodded affirmatively. Then Vin added, "Life's too short to drink cheap wine."
      That was his philosophy of life. Vin wasn’t wealthy, but he was rich in experience.
Vin chose to pursue psychology over engineering (his parents' wish)––life's too short to live someone else's dream. Vin put aside resentment––life's too short to sabotage relationships. He chose remarriage over brooding and blaming––life's too short for loneliness. He carried a book and read while he waited for friends and patients––life's too short to waste a single moment. He looked at each sunset as though it would be his last. 
      Vin believed that thinking less of who you are and doing less than you can do cheapen life. He would have asked me to pass along these sayings to you:
Life's too short to wallow in the past.
Life's too short to be unhappy.
Life's too short to stay angry for too long.
Life's too short to do unfulfilling work.
      I believe Life's too short to keep great wine in the cellar. The same is true of your gifts and talents––and of all the values you are longing to bring into the world of work. It’s better to take the cork off now, than to leave your bottles in the cellar, only to discover at long last, that they're no longer so good.

RETHINK YOUR WORK
To further explore the question “Life’s too short to _____________?” you’ll need to consider:
•What have I been postponing?
•What am I compelled to focus on now that would contribute to my happiness and to others?
•If I were to die tomorrow what would I regret not having done?
•How might my work change if I became more conscious of the preciousness of life?

In future columns, you’ll find out how to put these insights into practice and make your workday serve your quest for meaning.

Copyright © 2008 by Cliff Hakim. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without prior permission from the author. Contact: cliff@rethinkingwork.com Rethinking Work® is written in the spirit of “we.” Our team is Larry Corby/illustrator, Valerie Andrews/editor, Elles Gianocostas/graphic designer, and you, the reader.

The Column is a valuable tool for reflection and exploration that can lead to deeper meaning and more significant contribution whether you work inside or outside of an organization.

For more information about Rethinking Work seminars, or career consulting and executive coaching, please contact:
cliff@rethinkingwork.com
or 617.661.1250